Global Arc

This course will focus on understanding how neurons and the molecules they express contribute to brain function. Topics covered will include the structure and electrical properties of neurons, cell fate decisions, synapse formation and plasticity, neuromodulation, and the function of simple neural circuits. We will also discuss molecular and genetic tools for interrogating the nervous system. Examples will be drawn from studies of sensory system development and function in animals amenable to molecular and cellular level investigation. Students will have the opportunity to read and discuss primary literature throughout the course.

This lecture course will cover mathematical, statistical, and computational tools necessary to analyze, model, and manipulate neural datasets. A primary goal of the course will be to introduce students to key concepts from linear algebra, dynamical systems, and probability and statistics, with an emphasis on practical implementations via programming. Lectures on each topic will focus on relevant mathematical background, derivation of basic results, and examples relevant to neuroscience. The course will include problem sets based on the MATLAB software package.

This course will provide an introduction to the scientific study of sensation and perception, the biological and psychological processes by which we perceive and interpret the world around us. We will undertake a detailed study of the major senses (vision, audition, touch, smell, taste), using insights from a variety of disciplines (philosophy, physics, computer science, neuroscience, psychology) to examine how these senses work and why. We will begin with physical bases for perceptual information (e.g., light, sound waves) and proceed to an investigation of the structures, circuits, and mechanisms by which the brain forms sensory percepts.

A fundamental goal of cognitive neuroscience is to understand how psychological functions such as attention, memory, language, and decision making arise from computations performed by assemblies of neurons in the brain. This course will provide an introduction to the use of connectionist models (also known as neural network or parallel distributed processing models) as a tool for exploring how psychological functions are implemented in the brain, and how they go awry in patients with brain damage. Prerequisite: instructor's permission. Two 90-minute lectures, one laboratory.

Much of what we know about the brain systems underlying perception, attention, memory, and language was first derived from patients with brain lesions or other brain pathology. This course provides an introduction to major syndromes in clinical neuropsychology such as object agnosia (deficits in object recognition), amnesia, visuospatial hemineglect (attention deficits), aphasia (language deficits), and others through careful analysis of clinical cases and their underlying pathology.

This course covers the brain control of movement with an emphasis on how the cerebral cortex of the primate brain coordinates meaningful behavior. The topics range from the low-level control of muscles by motor cortex and the spinal cord, to the highest levels of interaction between the motor system and cognitive function. For example, the machinery for motor control may play a direct role in social cognition. The course begins with the discovery of motor cortex in 1870. It then covers a network of cortical and subcortical areas that together control movement and guide movement on the basis of cognitive decision and sensory input.

This course is designed to introduce undergraduate students to modern methods of analysis applied to single neurons, the synaptic connections between neurons and the dynamics of networks of neurons underlying learning and decision making. The course will include mammalian cellular and system neuroanatomy and the influence of experience on the production of new neurons. Students will learn modern methods of microscopy and the application of optogenetic approaches to analysis of neuronal function. Basic neuroscience concepts will be studied using both invertebrate and mammalian CNS preparations.

Innate behaviors, whether fleeing from predators, looking for mates, defending territory, or caring for young, are the foundation of life. How does the brain generate these complex behaviors across the lifespan of an individual? What are the links between hormone systems and the generation of survival behaviors? We will look at a range of social and nonsocial innate behaviors, and examine their relationship to neuroethology, endocrinology, and to an emerging understanding of mammalian subcortical circuits for survival. A combination of lecture and student-led deep paper reads and emphasis on modern methods for neural circuit analysis.

This course will address how to find structure and meaning in data. Introductory statistics courses teach the mechanics of testing, while laboratory courses typically produce datasets whose analytical goal is often specified in advance. This course builds intuitions in what to do in the absence of explicit guidance, a relevant skill for any science discipline. Topics include data transforms, finding relationships between variables, understanding when simple tools like correlation and regression will fail, deciding what analysis to do, and graphical presentation. Real datasets will be used to demonstrate principles for discovering insights.

A survey of fundamental principles in neurobiology at the biophysical, cellular, and system levels. Lectures will address the basis of the action potential, synaptic transmission and plasticity, local circuit computation, sensory physiology, and motor control. Prerequisites: MOL 214 or MOL 215, PSY 258, PHY 103-104, and MAT 103-104, or permission of instructor. Two 90-minute lectures, one preceptorial.